A known CML patient's blood is received in the lab for a routine CBC.The technologist counts 55% blasts in his smear.What is the most likely reason for this occurrence? The patient is in:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A blast count of 55% is high and is indicative of blast crisis, which is the aggressive and life-threatening phase of CML characterized by an increased number of immature blasts in the blood and bone marrow. In the chronic phase of CML, the blast count is typically less than 10%, whereas in the transition phase, it is between 10-19%. In the terminal phase, the blast count is very high, but usually, these patients present with other symptoms such as severe infections, bleeding, and anemia, which are not mentioned in the question.

A Known CML Patient's Blood Is Received in the Lab